Loom filling stop motion



Nov. 2, 1965 E. c. NICHOLS 3,215,167

LOOM FILLING STOP MOTION Filed April 8, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet l J5 m- /nnIl INVENTOR.

Y, A 9 EDWARD LA NICHOLS A TTORNE Y Nov. 2, 1965 E. c. NICHOLS LooMFILLING sIoP MoIIoN 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 8, 1965 WH l.

Illillu Hill INVENTOR. EDWAIQD CL.I\1|C,|-|OL S ZYM ammo@ A TTORNE YLOOM FILLING STOP MOTION Filed April 8, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 wammmmmINVENTOR. E DWARD C. Nici-1 CLS A TTORNE Y NOV 2, 1965 E. c. NICHOLS3,215,167

LOOM FILLING STOP MOTION Filed April s, 196s 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.EDWAQD C. NICHOLS ha QM A TTORNE Y United States Patent O "ice 3,215,167LOOM FILLING STOP MOTION Edward C. Nichols, Upton, Mass., assignor toDraper Corporation, Hopedale, Mass., a corporation of Maine Fiied Apr.8, 1963, Ser. No. 271,235 14 Claims. (Cl. 139-376) This inventionrelates to the filling motion stopping mechanism for so-cal-ledshuttleless looms and, more particularly, to improvements in theactuating means for stop motions of the type which sense the presence orabsence of the filling within the warp shed.

It is the general object of the invention to make the filling feelerportion of the type of s-top motion described more sensitive to fillingdefects at ever increasing loom speeds.

It is a further object of the invention to speed the sensing reaction tofilling defects by continuous rotary motion of actuating cams.

It is a further object to devise a feeling mechanism which will react toa broken pick of filling that may extend beyond the feeling device.

It is another object to present a means to elevate a portion of thefilling yarn above the lower warp shed and support that yarn while thefeeler inspects its condition.

It is another object of the invention to con-trol the pressure which isapplied to the feeling device in order not to form kinks in the fillingyarn.

It is a particular object of this invention to devise a filling feelerto effect loom stoppage in the event of exceptionally tight picks offilling such as might be caused when the loose end becomes tied upduring the passage through the warp shed.

With shuttleless looms of the type where reciprocating carriers areused, a length of filling in the form of a loop is inserted to a pointnear the center of the shed and transferred to be drawn through theextending member as it recedes from the shed. At the moment of transfer,both ends of the loop of filling extend toward the insertion side of theloom and, until the loose filling end is drawn beyond the center of theshed, it is not desirable for the feeler to act. The time in which thefeeler may sense the condition of the pick is only a small portion ofthe pick cycle so that as loom speeds are increased, very accuratetiming for the feeling mechanism is required.

It has been the usual practice in looms of this nature to raise thesensing mechanism and to signal for a loom stop by means of intermittentrecip-rocating motion imparted to a shaft secured to the lay. As theloom speeds have been increased, the time allotted during each pick forthis mechanism to react has been reduced to such a degree that manyfilling defects have been allowed to pass without the loom being causedto stop. This has often resulted in inferior quality material beingproduced which would have been avoided if the loom had stopped when thedefective filling was inserted.

With center fork stop motions of the prior art, certain filling defectshave passed the feeler undetected because of its inability to anticipatea broken short pick. After the loop of filling has been transferred andas the extending carrier recedes from the shed, the unheld end of theloop will, because of the yarn twist, tend to thrash about and gyrateviolently. This will, on occasion, wrap around or hitch onto some partof the carrier or warp end and instead of being drawn to its fulllength, the filling end will break and result in a shortened pick whichdoes not extend completely to the selvage. Also the small piece of cutoff yard may be dropped by the carrier in a subsequent shed and wouldcause an additional defect. Before the filling end is broken in a casesuch as this, it becomes exceptionally tight and is referred tohereinbelow as a tight 3,215,167 Patented Nov. 2, 1965 pick. The fillingfeeler would normally be held suspended by such a pick and would notsignal a defect. With the instant invention the feeler is capable ofstopping the loom on a tight pick to avoid a cloth defect.

By utilizing continuously rotating cams to actuate the filling feelerand the filling supporting member, very accurate timing is possible andclose relationship to the picking cycle can be maintained without theusual time loss through intermittent reciprocating action or overthrowof moving parts.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detaileddescription when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,showing by way of example, a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation from slightly above the horizontal of theinvention applied to a loom;

FIG. 2 is an exploded side View of the filling feeler with theassociated parts in -the normal running position shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a portion of the view of FIG. 1 with the parts as positionedafter detecting a tight pick;

FIG. 4 is -a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing a tight pick;

FIG. 5 is a portion of the View in FIG. 1 with the parts as pos-itionedafter detecting a broken pick or the absence of a pick;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing a broken or loose pick;

FIG. 7 is a plan View of the filling feeler portion of the invention asshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the cam and follower for the fillingsupporting fork shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a vertical section taken lon line 9 9 in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective side view of the filling feeler tension controldevice;

FIG. 1l is a plan view of the left-hand end of the loom and theinvention shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. l2 is a left-hand side elevation of the knock-off bunter drivingand releasing mechanism;

FIG. 13 is a horizontal cross section on the center line of theknock-off bunter driving and releasing mechanism seen in FIG. l1;

FIG. 14 is a diagrammatic view as seen from the right of FIG. 1l of theknock-off bunter showing the reversing motion imparted by the primaryreset cam; and

FIG. 15 is `a similar view showing the further reversing motion and theholding position imparted by the secondary reset cam.

The frame 20 may be of usual construction for a shuttleless type loom,and as the instant invention is a center filling motion which derivesits power from the left-hand side, only that part of the machine isoutlined. The frame supports a tape guide 21 and a left-hand carrier 22with a top mo-tion 23 extended upward to control the usual harnessframes 24 by harness wires and straps 25.

The looms cam shaft 26 has a sprocket 27 firmly attached near theleft-hand end for continuous rotation in the direction as shown by thearrow in FIG. 1, which is over the top and toward the front of the loom.A link chain 28 extends between the sprocket 27 and a further simil-arsprocket 29 of exactly the same size which is fastened to a stud 30supported by frame 20. Keyed to stud 30 is a spur gear 31 which is inmesh with a similar gear 32 of the same size which is keyed on a secondstud 33, also supported by the frame member 20. Fastened to the stud 33and adapted to rotate therewith is a sprocket 34 which turns anotherlink chain 3S which extends upward to the level of the loom lay 36 and afurther sprocket 37 of the same size as the sprocket 34.

The purpose of the above sprocket and chain linkage is to transmit thesame rotating speed from the loom cam shaft to the filling stop motion,to be further explained herebelow. It will be seen that the rotation ofthe cam shaft 26 (FIG. 1), through similar sized sprockets, will turnthe gear 31 at an equal speed. The rotating direction is reversed by therotation of the gear 32 but the ratio remains one to one as the gearsare of equal size. The sprockets 34 and 37 are also of equal size, sofor each revolution of the cam shaft which inserts a single pick by theloom, the sprocket 37 will rotate one turn and the filling feeler andstop motion may be timed accurately to coincide with each pick.

An L-shaped bracket 38 is securely fastened to, and extends outwardlyand downwardly from, the lay 36. A second bracket 39 is fastened to theface of the lay 36 (FIG. l) as with a bolt 40 positioned inwardly fromthe left-hand end and at a point somewhat beyond the center of said lay.A continuously rotating shaft 41 extends between and is supported by thetwo brackets 38 and 39 with anti-friction bearings and is caused torotate by the sprocket 37 in the direction shown by the arrow (FIG. 1).

The shaft 41 is inserted through a sleeve 42 which extends along thecentral portion of the shaft for a large portion of its length. Thesleeve is free to rotate with the shaft 41 or may be caused to stop orto rotate in the opposite direction as will be later described. Thesleeve 42 is supported for free rotation by two downwardly extendingbearing members 43 and 44 which are secured to the face of the lay 36 bybolts 45 and 46 (FIG. 1).

Secured at the left-hand end of the sleeve 42 is a bell-shaped casing 47with a hub 43 fastened by set screws 49 (FIGS. l, 1l, l2, and 13).Attached to the hub 48, as by a welding, is a pointed bunter 50 which isadapted, when in the forward position (FIG. 1l), to strike a knock-offlever 51 and thereby stop the loom in a known manner by actuating aswitch (not shown). The casing 47 is fastened to the left-hand end ofthe outer periphery of the sleeve 42 and the bell portion extends beyondthe end of the sleeve 42 as shown in FIG. 13. A key member 52 is firmlyattached to the shaft 41 by a screw 53 and is adapted to rotate on theshaft 41 within the bell casing 47 (FIGS. 12 and 13). The key 52 isfastened to the shaft in a somewhat eccentric manner with the longer armbeing hollow to enclose a compression spring 54 to urge a ball bearing55 into constant contact with the inner rim of the bell casing 47.

An indentation 56 is positioned in the path of the bearing 55 on theinner rim of the casing 47 and is made in the form of a sphericalsegment to fit the surface of the bearing 55 (FIGS. 12 and 13). Thespring compressed key member which comprises the key 52, spring 54, andball bearing 55 acts with the indentation to form a type of clutch torotate the sleeve 42 in unison with the shaft 41 during normal loomoperation. The depth of the indentation 56 together with the pressurefrom the spring 54 when in alignment will cause the sleeve 42 and theshaft 41 to rotate together. However, if the sleeve 42 is restrained ina manner to be further explained, the ball will become disengaged androtate about the inner rim of the bell casing 47.

On the right-hand end of the sleeve 42 which extends to a point near thecenter of the lay is a sleeve stopping device comprising a hub 57, atightening screw 58, an L-shaped upper hook 59 and a tooth-shaped lowerhook 60. The two hook members are spaced apart on a radial line and areadapted to rotate with the Sleeve 42 (FIGS. 3, 4, and and become meansmentioned above by which the sleeve may be restrained from rotating inunison with shaft 41. The mechanism for triggering either of the hookmembers will be fully explained below, but for the moment it will beobserved that by setting the hook members relative to the bunter 50 atthe other end of the sleeve, the rotating bunter 50 may be stopped in aposition to pivot the knock-off lever 51 when brought forward by the layand thus stop the loom (FIG. 1).

A continually rotating cam 61 for oscillating the filling detectingmeans in a manner to be later described, is firmly attached to the shaft41 adjacent the right-hand end of the sleeve 42.

A generally U-shaped bracket 62 is bolted at 63 near the center of thelay with the arms extending in a forward direction and positionedslightly above the shaft 41 (FIG. 7). A shaft 64 is supported by theouter arms of the bracket 62 by anti-friction bearings which extend uponthe shaft inwardly between the arms. Fixed rmly to the shaft 64centrally of the arms of bracket 62 by an adjusting collar 65 and ascrew 66 is a pivoting feeler time 67 of thin metal stock (FIGS. 6 and7).

A cam follower 68 is welded to the end of shaft 64 where it extendsthrough the left-hand arm of the bracket 62 and by oscillating with therise and fall of the cam 61 it will pivot the feeler tine 67. Thefollower 68 is generally oblong in shape with the two long sides formingan upward curve to generally conform with the cam 61 (FIGS. 3, 4, and7). The short upper side (FIGS. l and 3) serves two purposes by having acam follower surface 69 (FIG. 6) at the right-hand end, and the centerand left end adapted to trigger the hook members 59 and 61). Thefollower 68 is positioned between the hooks 59 and 60 as they arerotated on .sleeve 52 during normal weaving (FIGS. 1 and 2). However, ifthe feeler tine 67 is fully raised or lowered at the moment when the cam61 surface has fallen away, one -or the other of the hooks 59 and 60will be interlocked with the upper side of the follower 68 to stop therotating hooks (FIGS. 4 and 6). The sleeve 42 with its associated parts,the bell casi'ng 47 and the bunter 50, will all be stopped and in theposition to knock off the loom. The operation of the feeler tine 67relative to the pick of filling will be further explained below.

A filling supporting means which comprises a two-tined fork 70, firmlysecured with screws 71 into a threearmed bracket 72 (FIG. 7) ispivotally mounted on the extended anti-fraction bearings on the shortshaft 64. An angle bracket 73 (FIG. 3) is fastened to the front of thebracket '72 by screws 74 to support a cam follower 75 which is attachedto the bracket 73 by a screw 76 (FIGS. 7 and 8). The follower 75 tracksa face cam 77 which is fastened for continuous rotation to the shaft 41by a screw 78. The fork 70 and the feeler tine 67 descend into a slot 79in the lay 36 during the beat-up action (FIGS. 3 and 5).

As the lay moves back from the fell, the feeler tine 67 is raised to asufficient height by the cam 61 to allow the left-hand carrier 22 topass underneath. Transfer of the loop of yarn is made a little to theright of the feeling device so that as the left-hand carrier returnsunder the feeler tines, two ends of filling extend toward the rightside. The supporting fork 7() is then raised upward through the lowershed to a predetermined height to support the filling yarn. As soon asthe left-hand carrier has drawn the loose end of filling beyond thefeeler, the tine is lowered to rest upon the held end of filling St) andwill sense its presence and condition (FIG. l). Because each pick ofyarn is held by the supporting fork at a constant height and as thefeeler tine descends between the supporting arms, the tension and timingof the feeler tine can be much more accurately controlled than has beenpreviously possible.

If the pick of filling is the full length and is being drawn through theleft-hand carrier with the proper tension, the parts of the instantinvention will be in the positions illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Thetine 67 is held by the yarn 80 at an intermediate height, and the camfollower or stop indicating member 68 is held between the hook membersor interlocking members 59 and 60 so that the sleeve 42 and the bunter50 continue to rotate in time with the shaft 41. As the lay comesforward to beat up, the feeler tine and the supporting fork are drawnaway from the filling yarn and they drop below the shed into the layslot 79.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate the positions taken when a broken or very loosepick is sensed by the feeler. The tine drops to its lower position whichwill pull the stop indicating member 68 down to catch the lower hook 60and thus stop the rotating sleeve 42 with the bunter 50 (FIG. 1l) heldto knock off the loom.

In FIGS. 3 and 4 the effect of an excessively tight pick is shown. Onoccasion the loose filling end, as it is drawn through the left-handcarrier, in gyrating about will hitch onto the carrier or even a warpend. The carrier will oon- `tinue to pull outward and the yarn Willbreak which leaves a pick that is shorter than the cloth width andtherefore a defect. The feeler being set to sense the yarn during thetime it is becoming tight and before it breaks would not previouslydetect this condition and would not stop the loom. With the presentinvention a tight pick holds the tine 67 at its maximum height and holdsthe stop indicating member 68 in the path of the upper hook 59 whichwill also stop the loom.

To reduce the tension applied to the feeler tine, and to control thattension during the short time in which the feeler is permitted tofunction7 it has been necessary to supplement the usual compressionspring. The reaction of a spring when the pressure of a cam is releasedis too slow and overthrow occurs making it unreliable. In FIG. 10 ameans is illustrated which aids the spring by raising and lowering it intime with the feeler cam 61. The feeler tine need rely only in part onthe compressive action of the spring. A cam 81 is fastened to rotatewith the sleeve 42 and is contacted by a cam follower 82 held by one armof a bell crank lever 83. A shaft 84 is inserted through the lower endof the bearing 44 as a pivot for the bell crank 83 which is urged upwardagainst the cam 81 by a spring 85. Fastened to the lower end of thebearing 44 a bracket 86 extends toward the rear of the loom to supportpivotally one end of a lever 87. A pin 88 fastened to the lower end ofthe bell crank 83 extends through a slot 89 intermediate the ends of thelever 87. At the forward end of the lever 87, a horizontal lever 90 isfirmly attached to be raised and lowered by the motion of the lever 87.Loosely held by a screw 91 at the other end of the lever 90 a verticalrod 92 extends upward through a slot 93 in the forward end of the camfollower 68 (FIG. l0).

A compression spring 94 is adjustably held surrounding the centralportion of the rod 92 by a nut 95, a check nut 96, and a spacer 97.Soldered to the under side of the cam follower slot 93 a hollow sleeve98 encloses a roller bearing 99 in a horizontal position (FIG. 2). The

' rod 92 is extended through vertical holes in both the sleeve 98 andthe bearing 99. The upper end of the spring 94 passes through the lowerhole in the sleeve 98 to be in constant contact with the bearing 99. Asthe rod 92 is raised or lowered, the cam follower 68 will pivot on theshaft 64 and would normally cause wear on the rod by the edges of theslot 93. With the sleeve 98 oscillating on the bearing 99, the rod 92 isheld centrally in the slot and the friction is eliminated.

Referring to FIG. l0, the cam 81 will make a complete revolution witheach pick of the loom so that the timing may be accurately controlled tocoincide with filling feeling and supporting function. As the camfollower 82 is pressed down, the pin 88 will raise the levers 87 and 90and the rod 92 will rise to aid the spring 94 in applying tension to thecam follower 68 and the feeler tine 67.

Now to return to the left side of the loom (FIG. l) for explanation ofthe mechanism to reset the clutch type means which rotates or releasesthe sleeve 42 upon signal from the filling feeler. A continuallyrotating shaft 100 .is positioned beneaththe shaft 41 and is supportedwith bearings in the downward extending portions of the bracket 38 andthe bearing member 43. A sprocket 101, similar in size to the sprocket37, is secured to the left end of the shaft 100 and is in contact withthe link chain 35. Beneath and forward of the shaft 100 and supported bythe bracket 38 is a stud 102 which rotates an idler sprocket 103positioned to press the chain 35 into close contact with the sprocket101.

A double cam is fastened to the right end of the shaft 100 and comprisesa primary reset cam 104 and a secondary reset cam 105 which rotate intimed relationship with the bell casing 47 positioned above. Welded tothe rim of casing 47 in an axial direction a first pin 106 is spacedapart from a second shorter pin 107 fixed in the same direction also onthe rim of the casing 47. Pin 106 is adapted to be contacted by cam 104and pin 107 by cam 105 when the casing 47 is held stationary in theknockoff position. The purpose of these two cams and pins is to reversethe normal rotation direction of the bell casing 47 and to then hold itstationary until the key member 52 completes its rotation and seats theball bearing 55 into the indentation 56.

FIG. 14 shows in solid lines the position of these parts after the loomhas stopped. The bunter 50 is in a horizontal forward pointing positionafter having struck the knock-off lever, and the large pin 106 is at thelow point of its travel. As the loom is jogged forward, as a weaverwould do in removing a defecting pick, shaft 100 is rotated clockwiseand the cam 104 contacts pin 106 and rotates the casing 47 to the dottedline positions as shown in FIG. 14 marked by prime numbers.

FIG. 15 shows a continuation from FIG. 14 with the solid line drawingand the prime numbers being rotated to the dotted line positions and thesecondary numbers. The small pin is held at the position 1072 by thehigh side of the cam 1052 as it rotates and the key member 52 has thenrotated to reset the ball bearing 55 (FIGS. 12 and 13). Both shafts 41and 100 will then rotate together in a clockwise direction, as viewed inFIGS. 14 and 15, with the cams not contacting the pins until the loom isagain stopped by a filling defect.

The operation of the mechanism will be briefly reviewed. For the reasonspreviously mentioned, it was a prime purpose of this invention toactuate the feeling and stopping devices by continuous rotating motion.The loom cam shaft in one revolution will complete a cycle whereby apick of filling is inserted and beat up into the woven material. Throughchain linkage, shaft 41 is rotated by the cam shaft in a one-to-oneratio and in the reverse direction. Fxed to the shaft 41 for continuousrotation therewith, the feeler cam 61 and the filling support cam 77will accurately control the timing of the feeler 67 and the support fork70.

As the lay 36 moves rearwardly from the fell, the feeler tine 67 willrise through the warp ends to allow the left-hand carrier to passbeneath and rneet the inserting carrier. The left-hand carrier receivesthe loop of filling and as it is drawn under the feeler, the fillingsupport fork rises through the warp yarn to raise the lling above thelower shed to a plane which is constant at each pick. The left-handcarrier continues its travel toward the selvage while drawing in theloose end of filling and paying out the held end. As the loose endpasses the filling feeler, the cam follower 68 loses contact with thecam 61 andthe tine 67 is lowered to rest upon the filling end withtension controlled by the spring 94. The tension can be readily adjustedto meet varying conditions in weaving to avoid introducing filling kinkswhich may -becaused `by excess feeler weight.

The sleeve 42 is so adapted as to rotate with the shaft 41 while normalfilling is being inserted into the cloth. While such a conditionprevails, the hook members 59 and 60 will rotate with the sleeve and thelocking portion of the cam follower 68 will pass between them. Therelative position of the cam follower 68 at that moment '7 is determinedby the condition of the filling end as it affects the height of thefeeler tine 67. If, for example, the pick is unusually tight by reasonof hitching onto the carrier, the feeler will be raised to its maximumheight position and the upper hook 59 will be caught on the cam follower68 thus stopping the rotation of the sleeve 42. A slack pick or amissing pick would cause the same reaction by the feeler 67 dropping tothe lower position which would place the cam follower 53 in the path ofthe lower hook 60. When the sleeve is stopped in this manner, the bunterft at the left of the loom, and also fixed to the sleeve, is in theposition to strike the knockoff lever 51 to stop the loom.

When the sleeve 42 is stopped abruptly, the loom continues for `apartial pick until stopped by the loom brake. This forces the springcompressed key member 52 (FIG. l2) out of contact with the indentation56 and, in effect, throws the sleeve 42 out of gear with the shaft 41.To release the hook members and to speed the re-engagement of the keymember, it is desirable to reverse the rotation of the bell casing 47and the sleeve 42 for a fraction of a revolution. When the loom isstarted or jogged forward, the shaft 100 will turn the cams N4 and 105successively against the pins 166 and 107 and thereby rotate the sleeveapproximately a quarter of a turn. The bell casing will be then resetwith the key member and rotation will be resumed in the usual directionas the loom continues to weave.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to beunderstood that the inventive concept may be carried out in a number ofways. This invention is, therefore, not to be limited to the precisedetails described, but is intended to embrace all variations andmodifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention and the`scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In a loom, the combination of a lay, a filling detecting meansmounted on said lay, said means being adapted to signal for loomstoppage upon sensing the absence of a filling pick, said means beingfurther adapted to signal for loom stoppage upon sensing a loose brokenpick, said means being still further adapted to signal for loom stoppageupon sensing an unusually tight pick, a filling supporting means tooscillate on said lay in timed relationship to the insertion of thefilling yarn, and rotating camming means to oscillate said detectingmeans and said supporting means.

2. In a loom, the combination of a lay, a filling detecting meansmounted intermediate the ends of said lay comprising a pivotallydisposed feeler tine being movable upwardly between warp threads to anintermediate height 4above the filling as it is inserted and movabledownwardly to rest upon the normally tensioned filling yarn, said tinebeing movable downwardly to a lower position upon encountering nofilling yarn, said tine assuming said lower position upon encountering aloose broken filling yarn, said tine being movable upwardly to a maximumheight position upon encountering an unusually tight filling yarn, saidtine being adapted to signal for loom stoppage when in the said maximumheight position and when in said lower position, a filling supportingmeans for raising the filling yarn above the lower shed in cooperationwith said detecting means, a continuously rotating shaft mountedlongitudinally on said lay, and camming means affixed to rotate withsaid shaft for controlling the pivotal movement of said feeler tine andsaid supporting means.

3. In a loom, the combination of a lay, a filling de-I tecting meansmounted intermediate the ends of said lay comprising a pivotallydisposed feeler tine being movable upwardly between warp threads to anintermediate height above the filling as it is inserted and movabledownwardly to rest upon the normally tensioned filling yarn, said tinebeing movable downwardly to a lower position upon encountering nofilling yarn, said tine assuming said lower position upon encounteringaloose broken filling yarn, said tine being movable upwardly to amaximum height position upon encountering an unusually tight fillingyarn, said tine being adapted to signal for loom stoppage when in saidmaximum height position and when in said lower position, a pivoting forkmember positioned lbelow and movable upwardly between warp threads forcooperating with said feeler tine by raising and supporting a portion ofeach inserted filling yarn during the feeling action by said tine, acontinuously rotating shaft mounted longitudinally on said lay, andcamming means affixed to rotate with said shaft for controlling thepivotal movement of said feeler tine and said fork member.

4. In a loom, the combination of a lay, a filling detecting meansmounted on said lay to detect the presence and the condition of fillingin the warp shed, a filling supporting means to raise the filling yarnabove the lower shed in cooperation with said detecting means, acontinuously rotating shaft mounted on said lay, camming means affixedto rotate with said shaft for controlling the raising and lowering ofsaid detecting means and said supporting means, a loom stoppingmechanism, a knockoff lever pivotally disposed to Contact the saidstopping mechanism, a knock-off bunter being releasably rotated by saidshaft, and interlocking means for arresting rotation of said `bunter ina position to contact knock-off lever upon signal from said detectingmeans.

5. In a loom, the combination of a lay, a filling detecting meansImounted on said lay comprising a pivotally disposed feeler tine adaptedto detect a defective pick of filling prior to the beat-up action of theloom, a filling supporting means for raising the filling yarn above thelower shed in cooperation with said detecting means, a continuouslyrotating shaft mounted on said lay, camming means afiixed to rotate withsaid shaft for controlling the raising and lowering of said detectingmeans and said supporting means, a loom stopping mechanism, a knock-offlever pivotally disposed to contact the said stopping mechanism, aknock-off bunter releasably rotated by said shaft, and interlockingmeans for arresting rotation of said bunter in a position to contactsaid knockoff lever upon signal from said detecting means.

6. ln a loo-m, the combination of a lay, a filling detecting meansmounted intermediate the ends of said lay comprising a pivotallydisposed feeler tine being movable upwardly between warp threads to anintermediate height above the filling as it is inserted and movabledownwardly to rest upon the normally tensioned filling yarn, said tinebeing movable downwardly to a lower position upon encountering nofilling yarn, said tine assuming said lower position upon encountering aloose broken filling yarn, said tine being movable upwardly to a maximumheight position upon encountering `an unusually tight filling yarn, saidtine being adapted to signal for loom stoppage when in said maximumheight position and when in said lower position, a pivoting fork memberpositioned below and movable upwardly between warp threads forcooperating with said feeler tine by raising and supporting a portion ofeach inserted filling yarn during the feeling action by said tine, acontinuously rotating shaft mounted longitudinally on said lay beingadapted to rotate in timed relationship to the oscillating cycle of saidlay, camming means affixed to rotate with said shaft for controlling thepivotal movement of said feeler tine and said fork member, a loomstopping mechanism, a knock-off lever pivotally disposed to contact saidstopping mechanism, a means to actuate said knock-off lever upon thereceipt of a signal from the said feeler tine comprising a knock-offbunter releasably rotated by said shaft, a spring compressed key memberfastened to said shaft being adapted to rotate said bunter during normallling insertion and when a defective pick is inserted to release saidbunter in a position to contact said knock-off lever, interlocking meansfor arresting the rotation of said bunter operable by said feeler tineassuming said lower position, said interlocking means being operable forarresting the rotation of said bunter by said tine assuming said maximumheight position, and rotating cam members for resetting said knock-offbunter and said key member in a mutual rotating position upon restartingthe loom.

7. A filling detecting means for a loom which comprises a feeler memberoscillatable between maximum and minimum height positions to detect thepresence, absence, and tension of filling yarn being inserted in a warpshed, said feeler member being operable to effect loom stoppage Whenencountering no filling yarn in said shed, said feeler member Ibeingfurther operable to effect loom stoppage when encountering abnormaltension upon said filling yarn in said shed.

8. A filling detecting means for a loom which comprises a feeler memberoscillatable between maximum and minimum height positions to detect thepresence, absence, and tension of filling yarn being inserted in a warpshed, said -feeler member being operable to effect loom stoppage whenencountering no filling yarn in said shed, said feeler member beingfurther operable to effect loom stoppage when encountering abnormaltension upon said filling yarn in said shed, and a filling supportingmeans effective to position said filling yarn at a predetermined levelfor sensing thereof by said feeler member.

9. A filling detecting means for a loom which comprises a feeler memberoscillatable between maximum and minimum height positions to detect thepresence, absence, and tension of filling yarn being inserted in a warpshed, said feeler member being operable to effect loom stoppage whenencountering no filling yarn in said shed, said feeler member beingfurther operable to effect loom stoppage when encountering abnormaltension upon said filling yarn in said shed, and a filling supportingmeans effective to position said filling yarn at a predetermined levelfor sensing thereof by said fceler member, said supporting means beingoscillatable in timed relationship to insertion of filling yarn.

10. A filling detecting means for a loom which comprises a feeler memberoscillatable between maximum and minimum height positions to detect thepresence, absence, and tension of lling yarn being inserted in a Warpshed, an interlocking member having upper and lower portions cooperablewith said feeler member to effect loom stoppage.

11. A filling detecting means for a loom which comprises a feeler memberoscillatable between maximum `and minimum height positions to detect thepresence, absence, and tension of filling yarn being inserted in a warpshed, a loom stop indicating member fixed to said feeler member .andoscillatable therewith, and an interlocking member having upper andlower portions adapted to be engaged by said stop indicating member.

12. A filling detecting means for a loom which comprises a feeler memberoscillatable between maximum and minimum height positions to detect thepresence, absence,

and tension of filling yarn being inserted in a warp shed, said feelermember being operable to effect loom stoppage when encountering nofilling yarn in said shed, said feeler member being further operable toeffect loom stoppage when encountering abnormal tension upon saidfilling yarn in said shed, a loom stop indicating member fixed to saidfeeler member and oscillatable therewith, a spring tensioning meansoperable upon said indicating member for actuating said feeler member,and spring positioning means for anticipating the tension requirementsupon said spring tensioning means and for speeding the reaction of saidfeeler member.

13. In a loom, the combination of a lay, a filling detecting meansmounted on said lay comprising a pivotally disposed feeler memberadapted to detect a defective pick of filling prior to the beat-upaction of said lay, a loom stop indicating member fixed to said feelermember and -oscillatable therewith, Ia spring member operable upon saidindicating member being adapted to transmit tension intermittently tosaid feeler member, spring positioning means `for anti-cipating thetension requirements upon said spring means and for speeding thereaction of said feeler member, a continuously rotating cam means forcontrolling the movement of said positioning means, a filling supportingmeans for raising the filling yarn above the lower shed in cooperationwith said detecting means, a continuously rotating shaft mounted on saidlay, camming means affixed to rotate with said shaft for controlling theraising and lowering of said detecting means and said supporting means,a loom stopping mechanism, a knockoff lever pivotally disposed tocontact the said stopping mechanism, a knock-off bunter being releasablyrotated by said shaft, and interlocking means for arresting rotation ofsaid bunter in a position to contact said knock-off lever upon signalfrom said detecting means.

14. In a loom, the combination of a lay, a filling detecting meansmounted on said lay, said means being adapted to signal for loomstoppage upon sensing an unusually tight pick of filling, a fillingsupporting means to oscillate on said lay in timed relationship to theinsertion of the filling pick, and rotating camming means to oscillatesaid detecting means and said supporting means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,123,472 7/38Lohsse 139-376 2,647,545 8/53 Budzyna et al. 139-376 X 3,012,589 12/61Sakamoto 139-376 3,129,902 4/64 Juillard 139-370 X FOREIGN PATENTS1,009,546 3/52 France.

675,283 5/ 39 Germany.

400,891 11/ 33 Great Britain.

DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner.

1. IN A LOOM, THE COMBINATION OF A LAY, A FILING DETECTING MEANS MOUNTEDON SAID LAY, SAID MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO SIGNAL FOR LOOM STOPPAGE UPONSENSING THE ABSENCE OF A FILLING PICK, SAID MEANS BEING FURTHER ADAPTEDTO SIGNAL FOR LOOM STOPPAGE UPON SENSING A LOOSE BROKEN PICK, SAID MEANSBEING STILL FURTHER ADAPTED TO SIGNAL FOR LOOM STOPPAGE UPON SENSING ANUNUSUALLY TIGHT PICK, A FILLING SUPPORTING MEANS TO OSCILLATE ON SAIDLAY IN TIMED RELATIONSHIP TO THE INSERTION OF THE FILLING YARN, ANDROTATING CAMMING MEANS TO OSCALLITATE SAID DETECTING MEANS AND SAIDSUPPORTING MEANS.